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Free-To-Play Company of Heroes Online Hits Beta

Company of Heroes Online, the free-to-play version of Relic's RTS, which was originally developed for release in Asian markets has entered into a closed beta test in the US.

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Right now, the beta is limited to "a few lucky Company of Heroes community members", but 20,000 keys will become available on July 26 through FilePlanet.com.

"The Company of Heroes Online Beta will feature two different armies, the Allies and Axis each with three different divisions offering players a choice of play style. The beta will feature 17 different multiplayer maps, which will be split between 1v1, 2v2, 3v3 and 4v4 modes. Players of the Company of Heroes Online Beta will also be able to enjoy the single player campaign from Company of Heroes for free."

Like most free-to-play games, gamers will unlock new content through playtime, but can purchase upgrades via microtransactions. It will be interesting to see how this title does under its new business model. The original game sold and was reviewed well, but the online community peaked after the two expansions were released. This free-to-play version could expose a whole new audience to the franchise.